Lemons, Limes and Oranges. Oh My!

I made these a few weeks ago and I forgot to share them. Forgive me. I got wrapped up in Hayden's birthday extravaganza that they got lost in the shuffle. I realize Fall is officially upon us but when you have a dessert with this much citrus zest, you just have to share them. Am I right? Besides you have all season long to bake with apples, pumpkins and comforting spices, so today it's all about lemons, limes and oranges. Hooray!

I got this recipe from my friend Memoria of Mangio da Sola. She made these over two years ago and they've been in the back of my mind ever since (Hi Memoria! We miss you!). I love key lime pie and could eat a whole pie by myself, as embarrassing as that is to admit. While I was pregnant with Hayden, I craved it all the time so I was pleased to discover that these bars were very similar. But these are a little different because they have a touch of cream cheese in them that makes these a bit more like cheesecake. 

Busted! Someone discovered toilet paper roll!

Part key lime pie, part cheesecake bar, all goodness. They were creamy, tart, tangy and loaded with flavorful citrus zest atop a buttery golden crust. I misread the directions and baked them in a 9x13-inch pan instead of a square dish so mine were thinner than expected but still great. If you want a thicker, taller bar to sink your teeth into just use a smaller pan. Either way, they're sure to satisfy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us Memoria. I hope you're enjoying Italy! 

Triple Citrus Bars adapted from Mangio da Sola via Cook's Illustrated

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Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar 

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

pinch of salt

Filling:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest 

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1 14-oz can of condensed milk

1 egg yolk, room temperature

6 Tbsp lime juice 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

2 Tbsp orange juice 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8x8-inch pan (for thicker bars) or a 9x13-inch pan (for thinner bars) and set aside. 

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt. Drizzle butter over crumbs and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

To make the filling: While the crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese with the lemon, orange and limes zests with a rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add juices and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

To assemble and bake: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Cut into squares and serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Summer Fun At The Pool

Whew! It has been a week, let me tell you. Hayden caught a virus that gave him a high fever for several days. He was okay until Wednesday night when he couldn't keep food down. Then he stopped eating and drinking and started to get dehydrated so we took him to the ER Thursday afternoon. The doctor there gave him some anti-nausea medicine that helped settle his stomach, which in turn allowed him to eat and drink and keep it down. It worked, he took a nap, drank milk, felt better then started flirting with the nurses. The doctor was happy with his progress so he didn't have to be hooked up to an IV afterall. Thank goodness. After the fever broke, he got a rash for a few days and that is finally going away. He is just about back to normal and acting like his silly self again. 

Over the weekend we went swimming at a family friends' house. Hayden has never been in a swimming pool before but we hoped he would like splashing in the water. He loved the water and was so relaxed by it. Instead of splashing around and having fun, he took a nap- twice! The water was so soothing and he was so relaxed in my arms that he just drifted off. He did have fun lounging in his floaty too. And I have to tell you, he is so darn cute in swim shorts and a cap :-)

I made these bars about a week before my birthday and they were freaking delicious. If you like key lime pie, you will love these. It's essentially the same recipe but in bar form and it uses lemon juice in stead of lime. These bars also have the summery addition of blueberries too, but raspberries or blackberries would be just as good. Heck if you want to use lime juice, go ahead and make them your way. These bars are the epitome of summer- they're bright and citrusy, fruity, tangy and creamy. I made them on an ordinary day but they're the perfect treat to enjoy poolside to beat the heat. 

Blueberry Lemon Bars slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

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For the crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of one lemon

For the filling:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of prepared pan. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture is smooth and begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the 3/4 of the blueberries, reserving some for the top. 

Pour the lemon blueberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust then top with the remaining blueberries. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled. Cut into bars and serve. 

Sunny Citrus

Last month I had a giveaway for Baking Basics and Beyond cookbook, that Becca from Cookie Jar Treats won. We decided to pick a recipe and bake it "together". We both scanned the book and quickly settled on a recipe with bright refreshing flavors- Sunny Citrus Bars. Since both our mothers love citrus, we made these for them on Mother's Day. I made a full pan and presented half of them to my mother and the other half to my mother-in-law. It's the perfect tangy treat for sharing. 

Sunny citrus bars are essentially lemon bars with a shortbread crust, but the filling includes tart lemon juice and zest as well and sweet and aromatic orange juice and zest. So rather than a zingy filling, these are a little on the sweet side, especially since they're topped with a powdered sugar glaze after they've baked and cooled. They weren't as orangey as I thought they'd be, nor were they as lemony, but they were a nice balance in between. The filling was a little gooey, the crust a little crunchy. All in all, they were quite good and would satisfy any citrus craving. 

As far as lemon bars go, I think I prefer one with more pucker and these meyer lemon-lime bars are my still my favorite. I did, however, LOVE the shortbread crust and would definitely make that part of the recipe again. In fact I caught myself cutting off the edges of the crust "to make them prettier and more presentable" just so I could nibble on the buttery, crumbly, crunchy base. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Sunny Citrus Bars from Baking Basics and Beyond
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For The Crust: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter

For The Filling: 

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

For The Glaze: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tablespoons orange juice

Heat oven oven to 350 degrees F. with oven rack in the middle. Lightly spray bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

For The Crust: Mix the flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Press crust evenly in bottom and slightly up sides of baking pan. (Mixture may appear a little dry and crumbly- this is okay.)

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 

For The Filling: Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs using wire whisk. When smooth, stir in butter, both lemon and orange juice, then stir in both lemon and orange zests. Mix well and pour over the hot crust. 

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set in the center and a knife comes out clean, although it will still be be wet. Cool on a wire cooling rack to room temperature. 

For The Glaze: Combine powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl and beat with a small whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more juice. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Allow glaze to set up then store bars in the refrigerator. 

Head on over to Becca's blog and check out her citrus bars. And while you're there, leave her a note of congratulations, she graduated from high school this past weekend! Congratulations Becca!

The Best I've Ever Had

I hope you'll forgive me for being absent for almost 2 weeks. It seems the time is just flying past me and before I know it, it's been 3 days, then 7, then 10 days and those m&m's cookies are still at the top of my blog. Even though they were delicious and colorful, I was getting tired of looking at them. How 'bout you? I had great intentions of updating sooner but this baby is sucking all the energy out of me. But I'm not complaining because I know how blessed I am to be carrying this miracle. All that means is that you'll hear a little less from me. But when I do blog, I can promise you it will be something good. Really good, like these Meyer lemon-lime bars.

I was going to share with you the birthday cake that I made for my FIL a couple weekends ago, but I made these a few days ago and they were so good they jumped to the top of the list. I made these for a friend as a "thank you". My friend, Lori, brought over some homemade sausage and chicken gumbo and white rice after I got back home from my surgery. After eating take-out for over a week, a homemade meal is just what we needed. Thank you Lori! I know she's a huge lemon fan so I made these especialy for her. But they made so many that I kept a few for myself too :-)

I used 6 Meyer lemons in this recipe, but I didn't quite have enough juice to make the recipe so I added the zest and juice of 2 Persian limes as well. If you've never had Meyer lemons before, they are a hybrid fruit- a cross between lemons and mandarins and aren't quite as tart as regular lemons. They have almost a floral fragrance to them and their skin is smooth, shiny and darker in color. Because they aren't as tart, the addition of the limes perked them up quite nicely. In my opinion they were they perfect combination of puckery citrus and sweet.

I've never made lemon bars before because I've never had one that I really liked. I know that should have made me want to make my own, but I never did. I just assumed they were all lousy and they weren't something I really liked even though I wanted to. But I was so wrong about that theory because I loved these bars. I saw this recipe on girlichef's blog. She raved about these bars and it intrigued me to make them almost immediately. These are a little thicker than the average lemon bar, they have a buttery shortbread crust and the filling is almost like lemon curd, dusted with sugar. If it means anything at all, I haven't had much of a sweet tooth lately, but I had 5 of these! Please make these and totally disregard the fact that they have 3 sticks of butter, 6 eggs and over 3 cups of sugar in them. That's what makes them so good!

Meyer Lemon-Lime Bars adapted from Ina Garten and girlichef

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For the crust:

• 3/4 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the filling:

• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated Meyer lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice (I used 6 small Meyer lemons and 2 limes)
• 1 cup flour
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Butter a 9 x 13 x 2" baking pan, then line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. This is optional but will make removing the bars from the pan, much simpler.

For the crust: Cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter mixture until just mixed.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the bottom of prepared pan.

Chill the pan while the oven preheats to 350° F.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling: Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon and lime zest, lemon and lime juice, and flour.

Pour over the crust and bake for 35-45 minutes, until filling is set.

Let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares or triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 24 squares.

I just love this picture of my nosey little girl so I thought I'd share!

Citrus Love & A Cookbook Giveaway!

I mentioned in a recent post about Lemon-Lime Cream Pie, that we were going through cases of oranges from Costco like they were going out of style. They have just been so good this year, and as a midnight snack, Mr. H and I will peel two oranges and have those for dessert. Actually he does the peeling, I just do the eating :-) Our entire crisper drawer was filled to the brim with oranges so I decided to use a few to make this cake. I didn't even make a dent in our stash.

This cake comes from a cookbook I discovered last March called Frame By Frame Baking. It immediately appealed to me because it reminded me of step by step recipe blogs. There are step by step photos and instructions in this book so it's easy to follow along, but it's also visually appealing and the recipes are simple. The book has about 60 recipes sweet and savory recipes in it, and are divided into 4 categories- Cakes and Traybakes, Pastries, Small Cakes and Cookies, and Breads. There really is something for everyone in this book.

I liked this cake, but didn't love it. Firstly, I think I overbaked it a tad even though I followed the directions. It should have been taken out about 5 minutes prior to the time in the book and I have noted that in the recipe below. Because it was overbaked, it was a little on the dry side. Also, when you bake fresh oranges their flavor becomes bitter, like that of orange marmalade. I'm not a fan of orange marmalade but if you are, then you'll like this cake. Despite not loving this recipe, I'm sure there's another in this book with my name written all over it.

Also because this book was so appealing to me, I bought two extras, just for YOU! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite cookbook. That's it! Be sure you leave me your name and email in your comment so I can contact you if you win. If you leave an anonymous comment with no contact info, there will be no cookbook for you! Because I'm feeling generous, everyone is eligible to enter this giveaway. Mr. H and I are going away on a secret trip this weekend for our 6th wedding anniversary. I'll announce the winner when we return home. Hope everyone has a great week!

Orange Madeira Ring adapted from Frame By Frame Baking

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• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup or Lyle's Golden syrup
• 2medium oranges
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
• 2-3 Tbsp. orange juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a tube/ring cake pan and spoon the syrup into the bottom.

Cut all the white peel and pith from the oranges and cut into slices.

Arrange the slices over the syrup in the pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour into the mixture and fold it in gently with a rubber spatula. Add the orange juice and zest and fold in until a til a soft consistency is achieved.

Spoon the mixture into the pan and smooth the surface.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake should be risen, golden and firm to the touch.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then return out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

The cake can be served cold, or warm with extra corn or Golden syrup drizzled over it.

Ahh, citrus love!

Get Your Green On

The kind folks at Duncan Hines contacted me a couple weeks ago and asked if I'd like to try one of their recipes using their mixes. I, of course, said yes and a few days later a package arrived on my doorstep! I had the choice of two recipes and I chose to make their Leprechaun Key Lime Cake just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

This cake starts off with a Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, then you add a box of lemon pudding and key lime juice. I didn't have key limes, but I had a bag of Persian limes so that's what I used. This cake was so simple to put together-- you combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix then into the oven it goes. After the cake has baked and is still warm, it's soaked with a buttery lime glaze while it's still in the pan. That glaze penetrates the cake throughout and makes it's ultra moist and a little sticky. After it cooled I opted to glaze the top of the cake with a lime glaze that I came up with that tasted like a limeade. You don't have to glaze it a second time but that glaze was so good, I could drink it!

This cake is really equal parts lemon and lime flavor but it's not too tart and it's not too sweet. You could always use lemon juice in place of the limes if you prefer. It's light in texture and fluffy on the inside, while the outside develops a sugary crust on it from the glaze.

I really liked this cake and so did my neighbors. Even Mr. H, who isn't a huge fan of citrus, ate it and didn't complain :-) It's refreshing and easy enough to make anytime of year, not just on St. Patrick's Day. Would be great for Easter and you can call it Lemon Lime Cake if you prefer. Might also be good for breakfast....I'm just saying.

Lemon Lime Cake adapted from Duncan Hines

Cake:

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) pkg lemon instant pudding
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.

For cake, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup lime juice in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan onto cooling rack then immediately return cake back to pan. Poke holes in top of warm cake with toothpick, wooden skewer or long-tined fork.

For glaze, combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons water and melted butter in medium bowl.

Pour slowly over top of warm cake and allow it run along the sides of the pan. Cool completely while still in pan.

Invert onto serving plate. Dust with additional powdered sugar or glaze (recipe below). Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

Lime Glaze by Monica H

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 1 lime

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and zest. Squeeze lime juice into bowl a little at a time. Stir until there are no lumps and continue to add more lime juice until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Pour over cooled cake and allow to set.

Be sure to stop by Duncan Hines and check out their recipe index. You may find a new recipe to make for your family that starts off with a mix you already have in your pantry.

Thank you Duncan Hines and Happy St. Patty's Day to you all!

Because They're Worth It

Ahh, key limes! It's just starting to cool down here but it's still rather humid and in the 8o's. I'm not complaining. I'll take it. But to cool down I made these key lime frozen yogurt sammies for Labor Day while it was much warmer. Don't you want to catch that drip with your tongue?

Yes, key limes are cute but they require a little elbow grease. I have a juicer but these little suckers are so tiny so you really need to juice them by hand. To get the full effect and to yield the most juice use a wooden reamer.

Your shoulders may burn a little and you develop a little sweat on your upper lip, but it will be worth it in the end. I promise. Besides I couldn't pass up this great photo op. These key limes were lovely and tangy!

This frozen yogurt couldn't be simpler. It only has 3 ingredients that you mix together and throw in the ice cream maker til frozen. Mine took a little while to freeze so I just poured it into a freezer container and plopped it in the icebox.

I wanted to make homemade graham crackers but I just haven't had the time. In the meantime I used packaged ones and they worked just fine. Any cookie or biscuit would work here. Just place a scoop of the yogurt on one cracker, sandwich with the other and refreeze.

Key Lime Frozen Yogurt from Southern Living

• 1 (32 oz.) container whole milk French vanilla yogurt
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup key lime juice (about 1 bag of limes)

Whisk together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Refrigerate overnight (see note). Pour mixture into the freezer container of a 1 1/2-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times will vary.) Cover and freeze until desired firmness.

Makes about 6 cups.

NOTE: It's best if you refrigerate this mixture overnight even if it is cold. It will speed up your freezing time in the ice cream maker.

I used fresh key limes but regular limes or bottle key lime juice would work just as well.

I used Horizon Organic Whole Milk Vanilla Yogurt and full fat sweetened condensed milk. Fat free can be substituted.

I made about 10 graham cracker sandwiches then I ran out of graham crackers. I found a box of Nilla wafers in the back of the pantry and improvised. I liked these because they were easy to pop in your mouth (which I did several times!) and because the vanilla was a nice compliment to the key lime, but my sister loved the graham cracker version.

I can't get over their cuteness!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, if you haven't already!